The MotoGP series is probably the series I review each year that is most consistent in terms of quality. That’s because it never adds enough new stuff to blow anyone away, but at the same time adds enough content to be noticeable. The rest of the game is pretty much the same every year with similar graphics, game modes and other things. Will this be a fact in MotoGP 23 as well?
The answer is yes. The graphics are the same as last year, and the bikes and riders mostly look very good, but the environments are starting to feel a bit dated. It doesn’t feel like all the places off the tarmac have received the same amount of love. Driving also feels like last year, where as usual it’s a game that takes some time to master. Therefore, new tools for braking, acceleration and handling have been added this year. This can be good for the absolute beginners, but I recommend turning it off immediately, as it will only hurt your skills in the long run by relying on the motorcycle to brake on its own, for example. The AI, or the computerized drivers, may still need some fine-tuning. If the drivers bump into each other, they throw their arm in the air to ask what the hell you’re doing. It’s extra funny because this happens all the time, even between computerized drivers, and it feels like watching a group of angry Italians with all the hand gestures.
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Last year’s version had the excellent Nine Season 2009 which focused on the season from the same year. But of course this was just a gimmick for last year. What do we have instead this time? Unfortunately, we didn’t get something like this that tells part of the MotoGP story, but we did get a career mode with good content. We start this time in the final stages of the Moto3 championship and how well we do opens the doors to race in the same championship, Moto2 or the main series MotoGP next season. After that comes the usual practice, qualifying and racing, but with some rivalry involved. Via social media, you receive messages to which you can respond with a friendly or angry response. This can make other riders your rivals and you have to beat them in the next race and they will also be more aggressive towards you. There are also other challenges, such as driving better than the team’s current first driver and taking his place. This is because the rider who is number one in the team gets to decide the development of the motorcycle. If you remain co-driver, you must ride motorcycles that someone else has selected for you. Each season has “turning points” that give you different opportunities, such as signing a new contract with your team or finding a new one, or perhaps moving up or down the classes. Some drivers are also better at certain tracks. At the Sachsenring, for example, Marc Marquez will be particularly difficult to beat. It’s the little things that make career mode interesting, compared to just running race after race.
If you just want to run race after race, you can do it both against the computer and against other players. There is local co-op for two players in split screen and online with up to twelve players. This can also be done via cross-play regardless of console or whether it is current or previous generation. Unfortunately, cross-play is not available on PC. Neither split screen nor online multiplayer is available on the Switch version. However, it is possible to have eight players in local multiplayer mode.
Something that many have been asking for for a very long time is dynamic weather. Now it’s finally here. It can now go from dry to wet and vice versa. The system is also well implemented where the track gets wetter and wetter and puddles form on parts of the track where the drivers are not driving. There is also a big difference between driving on dry and really wet surfaces, where the latter can feel like being a five-year-old on a waterslide. You have no control, and you just drive here and there in the water. It is many times more common to overturn when it is wet, as it should be. With this also comes the so-called flag-to-flag. This, which also exists in reality, means that a white flag may appear during the race if the weather changes. Then you can drive into the depot and change to another motorcycle, hopefully with tires that match the surface. This is also not available on Switch.
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MotoGP 23 continues to keep the series at an even and good level. The new dynamic weather system and career mode offer great improvements from last year, but it still feels like there are more steps to be taken. Fans will still be pleased that all the official drivers and tracks from this year’s race are available, and all in all it’s a great game for all MotoGP enthusiasts out there.
2023-06-12 14:44:41
#MotoGP #Review
